LG Saxena approves creation of 5 new districts in Ladakh, UT to have 7 districts now

Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena on Monday approved the creation of five new districts in the Union Territory, fulfilling the aspirations and long-pending demand of the people of the region.

He termed the decision as a “historic day” for Ladakh.

“I have approved the notification for creation of five new districts in Ladakh, fulfilling the aspirations and long-pending demand of the people of Ladakh,” the LG said in a post on X.

Saxena said that with the creation of five new districts — Nubra, Sham, Changthang, Zanskar and Drass — Ladakh would now have seven districts.

Earlier, Leh and Kargil were the only two districts in Ladakh, the largest Union Territory in terms of area but the second least populous. It has an expanse of 86,904 square kilometers bordering China and Pakistan, with a population of 2.74 lakh, according to the 2011 census.

“The development is aligned with Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a developed and prosperous Ladakh,” Saxena said in the post.

The LG added that this “transformative decision, already approved by the Ministry of Home Affairs in August 2024, under the leadership of Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah, would strengthen grassroots governance, decentralise administration & ensure faster delivery of public services to the people of Ladakh, especially those in remote and far-flung areas”.

“Creation of new districts, apart from bringing governance closer to citizens, will create new avenues for growth, employment and entrepreneurship,” the Ladakh LG added.

Asserting that aspirations of the people of these areas have been fulfilled, he said, “I reaffirm my commitment to ensuring that every citizen of Ladakh benefits from this historic decision, as we move together towards a brighter, stronger and more prosperous future.”

The Centre bifurcated the erstwhile state of J-K into two Union territories — Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh — on August 5, 2019, when it also abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution that gave special status to the erstwhile state.

After being declared a Union Territory, Ladakh came under the direct administrative control of the Union Home Ministry.